# SystemStackError

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/systemstackerror/98192>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [July 12, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/systemstackerror/98192 "2006-07-12T23:56:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Mikki_W)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/systemstackerror/98192/1 "2006-07-12T23:56:37Z")

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SystemStackError in GreyController#grey\_search  
stack level too deep

can anybody please enlighten me on this one…any possible way to  
troubleshoot?  
thanks,

MSN id: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Mikki_W)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/systemstackerror/98192/2 "2006-07-13T00:26:59Z")

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It’s most often because you have a series of methods which are calling  
each other circularly, i.e. method\_a calls method\_b which calls  
method\_a which then calls method\_b… and so on. Eventually the stack  
(which stores the context at each point a new method is entered) runs  
out of space.

Can you find anything like that anywhere in your code?

- james

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Mikki_W)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/systemstackerror/98192/3 "2006-07-13T00:36:25Z")

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James A. wrote:

> On 7/12/06, Mikki W [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> 
> > –  
> > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/).
> > 
> > * * *
> > 
> > Rails mailing list  
> > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
> > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails)

This can also be sometimes caused by a syntax error .e.g redirect\_to  
:login instead of redirect\_to :action =\> “login”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@Mikki\_W](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Mikki_W)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/systemstackerror/98192/4 "2006-07-13T18:51:58Z")

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this is the error I get:  
SystemStackError#greybox\_search  
stack level too deep  
this is the class I have defined, where the error is being indicated:  
def videos(\*criteria)  
videos[‘videos’][‘video’].collect { |video| Video.new(video[‘id’]) }  
end

any help guys…thanks,

MSN id: removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

Chris T wrote:

> James A. wrote:
> 
> > On 7/12/06, Mikki W [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> > 
> > > –  
> > > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/).
> > > 
> > > * * *
> > > 
> > > Rails mailing list  
> > > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
> > > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails)
> 
> This can also be sometimes caused by a syntax error .e.g redirect\_to  
> :login instead of redirect\_to :action =\> “login”